Fernando Lúcio da Costa, better known as Fernandão (18 March 1978 – 7 June 2014), was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward.
Playing career
Having started his career at Goiás of Goiânia,[2] Fernandão had a four-year spell in France, initially moving to Marseille for R$1.4 million, before returning to Brazil to play for Internacional. He helped the club finish as runners-up in the 2005 season of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. In the same year, he made his international debut against Guatemala, assisting Grafite to score Brazil's third goal.
2006 was arguably Fernandão's best year. He led Internacional to win the Copa Libertadores for the first time ever.[3] Fernandão was a joint top scorer of the competition and was voted man of the Match in the final against São Paulo, match in which he scored one goal and made one assist. After the win, he extended his contract with Sport Club Internacional and skippered the club to win the FIFA Club World Cup in December. In May 2010, São Paulo FC signed Fernandão from Goiás for an undisclosed fee.[4] In May 2011, the two sides agreed to terminate the playing contract between them in a friendly manner.[5]
Coaching career
On 20 July 2012, Internacional, after the firing of Dorival Júnior, announced Fernandão as their new coach.[6] On 20 November, however, Fernandão was dismissed by the club's directory.[7]
Death
On 7 June 2014, Fernandão, at the age of 36, died in a helicopter crash. The Eurocopter AS350 where he was with four more people crashed by around 1 a.m. in Aruanã, Goiás, Brazil. All occupants were found dead.[8] His wake was at the training center of Fernandão's first team Goiás before a burial in Goiânia.[9] In Porto Alegre, the city where he had the most success as part of Internacional, the club proceeded to homage Fernandão by unveiling a statue of his outside Beira-Rio later that year,[10] while in 2015 one of the streets outside the stadium received his name.[11]
